Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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445. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 131 of 29 September 2021, if she will provide the details that were requested in the question. [6675/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.

Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for school transport where they have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability and are attending the nearest recognised school/class that is resourced to meet their special educational needs. Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers.

With regard to the Deputy's request for the number of transport applications for children with Special Educational Needs that had been approved but not implemented for the 2020/21 school year, Bus Éireann has confirmed the following was the position for the 2020/21 school year - there are two pupils who have not yet been accommodated on special transport services under the terms of the above scheme. One pupil resides in County Dublin and the other in County Kildare. The family of one pupil refused the special transport grant in January 2022 and a service is now being arranged for this pupil. The other pupil will be accommodated on a service as soon as an escort has been appointed and has been offered a special transport grant in the interim.

With regard to the status of payments to parents who must arrange their own transport, I can advise that payment in the form of a Special Transport Grant is available to families who have to transport their children to school in advance of the SEN service being set up. This grant is paid to the family once the service has been set up and once the school confirm the number of days that the child was being transported to school by their family. The grant is backdated to the date the transport application was made.

If the Deputy has a particular query with regard to a specific case, he is advised to contact School Transport Section of my Department at school_transport@education.gov.ie